The feudal era

When the road system was in poor condition, the ancient Southern region’s people traveled by following the rivers. People in Gia Dinh’s border areas did business or visited each other by taking the sea route to Can Gio estuary, then the Nha Be river confluence, and then the Saigon river to Gia Dinh.

Because the Saigon River was a lifeline for traffic, it played an important role in Saigon - Gia Dinh culture.

The city of Saigon has been a bustling urban and economic center since the reign of the Nguyen Lords. Many boats from other cities and countries came to exchange goods, mostly rice and agricultural products, on the Saigon River.

The old Saigon River, according to historian Trinh Hoai Duc, was a place where domestic and foreign merchant ships and boats went in and out nonstop. For the Nguyen dynasty, the river was not only crucial to Gia Dinh, but it also had an important meaning in opening the southern realm and was frequently associated with auspicious and sacred omen.

1860

The French constructed a port on the banks of the Saigon River to serve as a hub for East-West maritime routes. Business and trade with the outside world were thriving on both sides of the river. Saigon was given the nickname “Pearl of the Far East” as a result of this.

After 1975

The crowded Thong Nhat passenger trains transported people from the North to the South to Nha Rong wharf and vice versa. The Saigon River was not only a symbol of the nation’s unification, but it also demonstrated the importance of the North-South sea route.

There were the busy ocean-going ships that sailed to and from the ports of Khanh Hoi, Tan Thuan, and Tan Cang, transporting Vietnamese goods around the world and vice versa. Massive container ships navigated the Can Gio estuary and other provinces, and cruise ships bring a large number of tourists “landing” in Saigon during peak tourist seasons.

Since the 1990s

Speedboats with hydrofoils began to connect the city to Vung Tau and other western provinces. The sight of the Thu Thiem ferries, as well as the Long Kieng and An Phu Dong boats, regularly bringing tourists to the two banks left a lasting impression on locals. Generations have also remembered the illustrious industrial imprints of the Ba Son shipyard at the beginning of the Thi Nghe canal and the CARIC mechanical factory on Thu Thiem bank, opposite Bach Dang wharf.

All of the thriving river activities have been an essential component of the city. Since 2009, when the Saigon port relocated from District 4 to the Hiep Phuoc - Nha Be area, the Khanh Hoi port area, which was founded in 1860, has become less congested. Warehouses and wharfs are rarely used, and the pier is mostly used by barges and small ships. The port area has also been transformed into apartment and commercial complexes.

Tan Cang was then redeveloped in 2014 to include a residential and commercial complex. The Ba Son factory has been relocated to Ba Ria. Ba Son’s factories and docks have given up some land in order to build metro stations, while the majority of the city has been developed to serve residents and expand the city. The riverside CARIC factory was scheduled to be relocated in the early 2000s in order to make way for a new urban area.